I saw Orion stiffen, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He knew something was coming, just as I did, but neither of us could have predicted what she said next.
“I’m engaged,” Miranda announced, her voice loud and clear, cutting through the silence like a knife. “To Marcosias, leader of the Nightclaw Clan.”
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, but it was nothing compared to the shock that hit me. My breath caught in my throat as my mind scrambled to process her words. Marcosias? The leader of the rival clan? The man who had been plotting against Orion for years?
I shot a glance at Orion, and the look on his face was one I will never forget. It was like the ground had been ripped out from under him. His eyes widened in disbelief. His entire body frozen, as the reality of his daughter’s betrayal hit him like a freight train.
But Miranda wasn’t done.
She descended the stairs gracefully, the smile on her face never faltering, even as the room buzzed with murmurs of disbelief. She walked right up to Orion, her chin lifted defiantly as she stood before him.
“I know what you’re thinking, Dad,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “But don’t worry. This isn’t about love.”
Her gaze flickered toward me for the briefest moment before she turned back to him.
Orion’s face paled even further, his fists shaking at his sides. I could see the rage building inside him, barely contained. His voice, when he spoke, was a low growl.
“What … what is this about?”
Miranda’s smile twisted into something cruel, something that made my blood run cold.
“I guess you aren’t the only one that has a secret” Miranda said, as she looked at me.
The room seemed to spin around me. I looked at Orion, confusion swirling in my mind, but the devastation on his face told me everything.
“How could you do this to me, Miranda? You aligned with my archenemy. You don’t know what you are getting involved in. This man will lead to our downfall.”
Marcosias entered the room and stood on the stage with a vile smirk on his face, as he looked at Miranda and Orion. The energy I sensed from him scared the living hell out of me.
Miranda then turned to me, and the look in her eyes broke my heart. I could see the disappointment. She just looked at me and walked out of the mansion.
Marcosias then walked up to Orion and said, “This is just the beginning. Prepare to lose more.” Then he turned, as if to follow Miranda
I watched Orion, his face contorted in disbelief. His eyes locked on Marcosias, and for a moment, I feared what he might do. The tension between them was a hair’s breadth away from exploding.
Then, suddenly, Orion stepped toward me, his voice low and rough. “Luna …” His gaze softened for just a second. “I’m sorry.”
I blinked, trying to understand. “What?”
“I should’ve believed you,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He looked at me with a mix of regret and pain. “I should’ve trusted your visions. I let my pride blind me.”
“Orion, this isn’t your fault,” I started, but he cut me off, shaking his head.
I saw his muscles tense, and before I could react, he took a step forward, toward Marcosias.
Marcosias stopped at the door, smirking, unfazed by the storm swirling inside Orion. That only seemed to enrage him further.
Jake, who had been watching from the side, suddenly stepped in front of Orion, pressing a firm hand against his chest. “Sir, no,” Jake warned, his voice steady but urgent. “Attacking him now won’t solve anything. You’ll just make it worse.”
Orion’s fists clenched, his eyes burning with barely contained rage. “Get out of my way, Jake.”
Jake held his ground. “Sir, please think. Marcosias wants this. He’s baiting you. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
Orion’s jaw tightened, his breath coming in heavy, angry bursts. For a moment, he stood frozen, his gaze locked on Marcosias as if nothing else in the room existed.
“Let it go, please,” Jake said softly, but firmly.
Orion’s eyes finally flicked to mine. His face softened, and the fight in him seemed to deflate, replaced by exhaustion and regret.